PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Romping clumps of misfolded proteins are prime suspects in many neurological disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease. Those diseases are devastating and incurable, but a team of biologists at Brown University reports that cells can fix the problems themselves with only a little bit of help. The insight suggests that there are more opportunities to develop a therapy for protein misfolding than scientists had thought. "There are multiple steps that you could target," said Susanne DiSalvo, a Brown biology ...

With intensity a million times brighter than sunlight, a new synchrotron-based imaging technique offers high-resolution pictures of the molecular composition of tissues with unprecedented speed and quality. Carol Hirschmugl, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), led a team of researchers from UWM, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to demonstrate these new capabilities. Hirschmugl and UWM scientist Michael Nasse have built a facility called "Infrared Environmental Imaging (IRENI)," to perform ...

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by unexplained and debilitating tiredness and is associated with headaches, disrupted sleep, muscle pain and difficulty in concentrating. New research published by BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that ethnicity, depression, lack of exercise or social support, and social difficulties are major risk factors for CFS. A multi-institute study funded by the Medical Research Council (UK), involving researchers across London and Manchester, looked at data from over 4000 adults living in England. The result ...

Direct experience of extreme weather events increases concern about climate change and willingness to engage in energy-saving behaviour, according to a new research paper published in the first edition of the journal Nature Climate Change this week. In particular, members of the British public are more prepared to take personal action and reduce their energy use when they perceive their local area has a greater vulnerability to flooding, according to the research by Cardiff and Nottingham universities. Although no single flooding event can be attributed to climate change, ...

A team of scientists from Princess Margaret Hospital have created an organic nanoparticle that is completely non-toxic, biodegradable and nimble in the way it uses light and heat to treat cancer and deliver drugs. (A nanoparticle is a minute molecule with novel properties). The findings, published online today in Nature Materials (DOI: 10.1038/NMAT2986) are significant because unlike other nanoparticles, the new nanoparticle has a unique and versatile structure that could potentially change the way tumors are treated, says principal investigator Dr. Gang Zheng, Senior ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The batteries in Illinois professor Paul Braun's lab look like any others, but they pack a surprise inside. Braun's group developed a three-dimensional nanostructure for battery cathodes that allows for dramatically faster charging and discharging without sacrificing energy storage capacity. The researchers' findings will be published in the March 20 advance online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Aside from quick-charge consumer electronics, batteries that can store a lot of energy, release it fast and recharge quickly are desirable for ...

DURHAM, N.C. – You may remember the color of your loved one's eyes for years. But how? Scientists believe that long-term potentiation (LTP) – the long-lasting increase of signals across a connection between brain cells -- underlies our ability to remember over time and to learn, but how that happens is a central question in neuroscience. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found a cascade of signaling molecules that allows a usually very brief signal to last for tens of minutes, providing the brain framework for stronger connections (synapses) that can ...

Social Security disability benefits provide an important safety net for thousands of Americans: studies cited by the Social Security Administration show that a 20-year-old worker has a 3-in-10 chance of becoming disabled at some point before reaching retirement. The benefits furnished through Social Security help disabled workers and their families maintain normal, productive lives. But what about those workers whose disability claims are denied by the SSA? Fortunately, a process is set forth that allows disabled workers to seek review of claims that may have been wrongly ...

Contact: Camille Parmesan parmesan@uts.cc.utexas.edu 512-232-1860 Michael C. Singer sing@mail.utexas.edu 512-471-4506 University of Texas at Austin Think globally, but act locally when studying plants, animals, global warming, researchers advise AUSTIN, Texas—Global warming is clearly affecting plants and animals, but we should not try to tease apart the specific contribution of greenhouse gas driven climate change to extinctions or declines of species at local scales, biologists from The University of Texas at Austin advise. Camille Parmesan, Michael ...

A woman died because of a fatal accident, and her family has sued a Lynwood village clerk for negligence after the crash, the Chicago Sun Times reported. Rolle Valle, driving the wrong way on Illinois Route 394 near East Lincoln Highway, crashed head-on into two cars. Valle, the clerk in the village of Lynwood, has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI in connection with the fatal accident. State Police said Valle was driving northbound in the southbound lane. His vehicle struck the other car head-on and the impact caused the car to roll over in ...

Measuring the levels of small molecules in the blood may be able to identify individuals at elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes as much as a decade before symptoms of the disorder appear. In a report receiving advance online release in Nature Medicine, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers describes finding that levels of five amino acids not only indicated increased diabetes risk in a general population but also could differentiate, among individuals with traditional risk factors such as obesity, those most likely to actually develop diabetes. ...

Tiny Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) based compounds, which are 8-mer LNA oligonucleotides, successfully inhibit entire microRNA families, providing potential new approach for treating a variety of diseases, including cancer, viral infections, cardiovascular and muscle diseases Data show high affinity and target specificity of tiny LNA-based compounds enabled functional inhibition of entire microRNA families in a range of tissues without off-target effects Tiny LNA-based compounds are well tolerated in preclinical studies and can be delivered without the use of complex ...

Contact: Lisa Arledge Powell larledge@mediasourcetv.com 614-932-9950, ext. 12 American Society of Plastic Surgeons Men fuel rebound in plastic surgery New ASPS statistics show sizeable increases in facelifts and other surgical procedures for men Statistics released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that more men are going under the knife. Overall cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in men were up 2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. However, many male surgical procedures increased significantly. Facelifts for men rose 14 percent in 2010 ...

Raleigh criminal lawyer Patrick Roberts successfully obtained a dismissal of a Driving While Under the Influence (DWI) charge in a Wake County Criminal Court. After a challenge to certain circumstantial evidence in the case, including a challenge to the field sobriety test administered by the arresting officer, the Wake County District Attorney's Office determined that the case was flawed. The charges against Mr. Roberts' client were dropped. According to Mr. Roberts, a criminal lawyer with the Roberts Law Group PLLC, the dismissal was based on the fact that the state ...

Individuals with poorer health or psychological issues may be prone to developing chronic widespread pain following a traumatic event. This new research, published today in Arthritis Care & Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), found that the onset of chronic pain was more often reported following a traffic accident than from other physically traumatic triggers. The ACR defines chronic widespread pain as the presence of pain above and below the waist, or on both the left and right sides of the body, for three months or longer. ...

Don't go to Hawaii to just eat great food. TasteHawaiiOnline.com wants travelers to journey to Hawaii for a little more than the usual vacation options. In September on Maui at the Makena Beach and Golf Resort, the first annual "Invitation To Foodies" seminar will ask conscientious travelers to not only go to Hawaii for snorkeling, surfing and helicopter rides but to take some time to meet local non-profits who help provide identity to local communities. "We started shining a spotlight on Hawaii non-profits in 2009 by putting some of them on our website. We gave them ...

At a press briefing today, one of the plaintiff's attorneys in the case of Smith v. Northwestern Mutual Life -- now pending in Federal District Court in Milwaukee -- labeled the somewhat novel "you can't believe anything we say" defense offered by Northwestern Mutual Life and its lawyers as the "Wizard of Oz Defense." The lawsuit asserts Northwestern Mutual Life has been significantly overcharging hundreds of thousands of policyholders it promised a "flexible" policy loan interest rate "based on long term economic conditions." Instead the company has been charging an ...

One of the main reasons people avoid disaster recovery plan development is the question: "Where do I start and what are the pieces?" The good news is that it is a very logical process. The bad news is that it is detailed and involves a significant number of data collection and analysis steps. That is where we can help. So, how can we help get started and what does a free sample plan checklist mean? First, we've been providing customers with plan development methodologies (really just instructions, procedures and samples) for over 25 years. They are simple in nature and ...

San Diego, Calif., USA – Today, during the 89th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the 35th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, lead researcher F. Cheni will hold an oral presentation on a research study titled "Biodegradable Tooth-binding Micelles Inhibit Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) Biofilm Growth." This research was performed under the objective to develop tooth-binding micelles(TBM) using ...

San Diego, Calif., USA – Today, during the 89th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the 35th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, lead researcher C. Paganellii will present a poster titled "Influence of Pulp Extraction Technique on DPSCs Quality and Quantity." The objective of this study was to compare the quality and quantity of dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) obtained from permanent teeth using ...

Anyone with a vehicle is aware that they must have auto insurance, but with so many available options, choosing affordable auto insurance can be confusing. The website at InsuranceSalesman.com offers a wealth of information to help auto owners select the policy that best fits their individual needs. InsuranceSalesman.com provides visitors with the ability to obtain quick quotes on auto insurance from a variety of providers. All that's required are a few details and visitors can quickly ascertain what different companies offer so they can efficiently compare costs. Owners ...

Expert employment lawyers of the Mesriani Law Group, a leading California law firm based in Los Angeles, has again successfully obtained settlement for an employee in a claim of wrongful termination and retaliation. Based on records, the employee was hired by the company in 2008 as operations manager whose chief task is to look after the company's inventory accounts. But while working, he discovered financial mismanagement and discrepancies and promptly notified his supervisor and the company. He even recommended means to resolve the problem. He also worked with the ...

Redemption Allows Vehicle Owners to Keep Their Cars Even in Bankruptcy A vehicle can be more than just a piece of property you own. It can be the way you get to work, the way your kids get to school or even a statement about who you are as a person. Naturally, people going through bankruptcy are often concerned with keeping their cars. Frequently they are saddled with a larger debt than the car is worth, and paying a high interest rate on the loan in addition. Redemption is a process in Chapter 7 bankruptcy whereby the debtor brings down the amount owed on his or ...

New York Driver Point System for Traffic Violations Traffic tickets can cost money, cause insurance rates to rise and can be an overall inconvenience for drivers. But having multiple infractions on your record can have even more serious consequences. According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NY DMV), the driver violation point system is a tool used by the state to identify drivers who commit multiple traffic offenses within a specified time frame. The system works by designating points on a person's driving record, with varying levels of points ...

New version 8.0.8.3 of DVDFab was out on March 17, 2011, just two days later after the release of its 8.0.8.2 version. DVDFab was upgraded to fix some bugs and add new function. It updated language files this time, and fixed a problem that Preview/DXVA/CUDA doesn't work on Windows XP in 8.0.8.2 version. The detailed update information for DVDFab individual products is below: Blu-ray Copy: DVDFab Blu-ray Copy added new support of command line for creating .miniso file in this updated version. And it also fixed a crash problem when creating protected disc with BDMV-REC; ...